Recent Review: Polyketide beta-branching: diversity, mechanism and selectivity

The Crump group is pleased to announce the publication of a recent review within Natural Product Reports. This review summarises the diversity of beta-branch incorporation within polyketide synthases and the mechanistic details of each catalytic step. The overall transformation is catalysed by a multi-protein 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl synthase (HMGS) cassette and is reminiscent of the mevalonate pathway in terpene biosynthesis. The application of HMGS in data mining, additional beta-branching mechanisms and current knowledge of the role of beta-branches in this important class of biologically active natural products is also discussed.